Oh my fucking God. I cried. I cried at the goddamn Barbie movie trailer. I always knew I'd love it, but oh my God. I am in ruin. I am fucking enthralled.
Barbie (2023) is a giant product placement that profits off nostalgia.
The writing is profound and life-changing and understands why we seek nostalgia in a way most nostalgia-driven entertainment doesn’t.
The film is self-aware about how even now, Barbie dolls set incredibly unrealistic beauty standards. Their “body diversity” does not even scratch the surface of what that phrase really means. I don’t expect this to change.
The film still made a beautiful statement with the scene on the bench about how societal beauty standards are narrow and restrictive! And that beauty comes from experiencing life and the marks it leaves on you!
Its feminist statements are validating. Many of us see our reality onscreen, and the great thing is that it includes how cishet men fall down a pipeline of toxic hypermasculinity. It also shows the solution, and allows men to express themselves despite what society expects them to be.
The film is a capitalist venture.
The cast (aside from the leads) and crew were probably overworked and severely underpaid during filmmaking.
We can still appreciate that something fun was made, and we all made another wonderful memory where we and our loved ones went to the movies color-matching in pink.
We should not feel guilty about seeing ourselves in this film.
I’ve seen a lot of people talking about the Barbie movie and about the parts that touched on real-life dynamics, but the most uncomfortably real part to me is something I haven’t seen talked about yet, and it’s when Ken ultimately collapses and Barbie goes to talk to him. And EVERY TIME she tries to support him, he interprets her words as his cue to try and make a move romantically. And every time she gently rejects his advances he collapses wailing and slapping himself to the point that she feels bad. For being honest about not wanting a relationship with him.
“No, Ken, this isn’t the answer,” was the best line in response to his existential problems and I’m 100% glad they had both Barbie sticking to it and the other Kens positively supporting Ken without having to dunk on Barbie or call her a bitch for refusing to fake romantic feelings she does not have.